The High Middle Ages was the period of the Middle Ages from 1000 to 1300 AD. During this time, Europe's population flourished, her nation-states arose, and the Crusades took place. It was also a time of great and frequent war, famine and pestilence, with superstition and tradition preventing any notable advancements in science or the arts. It is generally agreed that the High Medieval Period is essentially the time in which most Nation States can trace their lineage to, but was also a dark time for the creative or scientific professions.

The High Middle Ages period saw the rise of the Normans as a European power - their culture, and more importantly their military, influenced future events in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Byzantium and Sicily. Having destroyed the Anglo-Saxon model of societal organisation, the Normans continued to implement Feudalism to the English countryside, replacing the old English thegns and Lords with a new Norman Elite. Over the following years, due to interchanging marriages, the Normans advanced their influence into the sovereign nation of Scotland. However, the Scots remained independent of domination from the English. Some of the mighties families in Scotland could trace their lineage to Norman Lords around the time of the Great Scottish Revolt under William Wallace and King Robert I in 1297.